Why Me
“I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly“.
—Oscar Wilde
Allow me to tell you a bit about myself.
I am Prasenjeet Kumar and currently an Author. In PUBLISHWITHPRASEN, I wish to share with you my story of how I could “publish” and place on Amazon, without spending a dime, 3 books in six months.
None of the books look like those 20-50 page pamphlets that litter the eBook marketplaces today. My first book was 200 pages long (27,000 words approx.), second 308 pages (37,000 words approx.) and my third book was 297 pages long (36,000 words approx.)
You may be surprised to know that all these three were “cookbooks” based on recipes of my dear mom. But I am no Chef, by training, aptitude or inclination. I’m actually a corporate lawyer with an LLB (Hons.) degree from the University College London, and a Legal Practice Course (LPC) Diploma from College of Law, Bloomsbury, London. I had had also my share of corporate law stints in London and Delhi for three years.
So while I remain somewhat reluctant to be labelled as a Cookbook author, what I need to underline is that one fine morning, I just felt an urge: to not only catalogue my family’s traditional and, what I think, innovative recipes but to also help busy people create cooked meals from scratch, in a jiffy.
So I first taught myself some basics of website designing and then launched a website registered as www.cookinginajiffy.com. This happened in April 2013. What happened thereafter is shared in greater detail in my blogpost “Beginning At The Very Beginning…..How exactly do you become an author, part-time or full time?”
I generally love writing about things that I am truly passionate about. I believe that my writings should help change people’s lives forever (for good, of course!). Writing is also a truly liberating experience for me. It can heal old wounds and in the process of influencing others, it can bring a lot of meaning to your life as well.
I live in India, in the north, close to the Himalayas. I love the mountains with its temperate climate, snow covered peaks, pine and fir forests, cherry blossoms and the green pastures. You can make out (very accurately) that I am a nature lover. I would rather spend time walking in the mountains than partying in pubs and night clubs.
I love gourmet food, and chocolates and cheese, and that’s one reason why I didn’t mind starting my writing career with cookbooks.
I am, however, no couch potato. I love doing all kinds of exercise: cardio, upper body, lower body, core, flexibility and balance with Pilates being my favourite. I prefer functional training than exercising with equipment, because I feel the former is more natural that also fosters a sense of deep spiritual well-being.
Interestingly, a few years back, my dreams (supposedly) were entirely different. From my teenage years, I had always wanted to be a Corporate Lawyer earning salaries with figures that can make any one’s mouth water. Multi-billion transnational corporate deals sounded interesting and I naturally (or unnaturally I might say now) wanted to be in the forefront of this very happening sector (as I had written in one of my online application forms then).
I studied Philosophy for my BA(Honours) in St. Stephens College, Delhi and then Law in University College London. I found the academic version of law to be very intellectually stimulating. So, a career in law did sound like the right option for me.
Little did I then know that it is one thing to intellectually enjoy Law and quite another to work in a Corporate Law Firm. In 2009, I came back to India and joined a Law Firm in Central Delhi and realised two years down the line that I just did not enjoy my job.
Stress, actually needless stress, created by bullying “seniors” was taking a real toll on my life. I was mostly slogging like a clerk or an office boy doing everything which could be done without knowing any law. I would feel extremely tired (quite my unusual self) in the evenings when I came back home. I was puzzled at the hint that regardless of when I left office, and whether I had completed all my assignments for the day or not, I should always feel guilty for leaving “early”. I started having headaches and nausea. On my way to office, I would sometimes feel light headed. My family members were noticing this change in my behaviour. I was losing self-confidence and becoming more and unsure of myself.
The writing was staring me on the wall. I had to quit and quit fast to retain my sanity.
I had always considered myself to be a creative person. In my school and in my University, I enjoyed writing and acting. In my spare time, therefore, I started learning about blogging, website designing and social media marketing. I soon started designing a dummy blog with my mother’s recipes. I began teaching myself the skills of self-publishing including cover designing, formatting e-books and print books and publishing them on Amazon and Create space.
Little did I realise that when the plunge had to be taken, this all was really going to stand me in good stead. To be sure, initially I didn’t think I’d ever be a full-time author.
And now, I don’t want to be anything else!
In PUBLISHWITHPRASEN, I intend to share all my experiences of donning this second hat of author, blogger, publisher, and entrepreneur, all rolled into one. I am going to share tips on how you can successfully write, publish, and market your books and create your very own Author Platform on a shoe string budget. Yes, this is absolutely possible, I repeat.
The No. 1 mistake most Authors make is that they spend too much money on “finishing” and marketing their books and then are unable to recover their cost. Some remain persistent (which is a very good thing!) while others quit thinking that they are spending more money than they are getting back.
PUBLISHWITHPRASEN will try to help you make all those intelligent decisions, without the need to spend any money, which have enabled me to publish 3 Amazon books in six months.
I am sure you will have your own very strong reasons for becoming an Author. So, why did you decide to become an Author? Do you enjoy what you do? I’ll love to hear from you.
It’ll be great if you could consider joining me in this unique (for me at least) roller coaster ride of experiences.
You can connect with me on Google+
Prasenjeet
Hi Prasenjeet,
It’s wonderful to visit your blog and know more about you 🙂
Amazing how you studied and landed up with cookbooks! But as they say we are all destined to do what’s written in our lives, and being more of the creative kinds, I can well understand why you chose to do what you do.
Being a writer and blogger myself, I fall short of time due to the commitment a blog takes, or else would have at least written one eBook if nothing else by now. I guess I am at the right place to learn about it all from you.
Thanks for sharing, and have a nice week ahead 🙂
Thanks Harleena. I agree with you. I’m glad that you liked my blog. It is not easy to manage time between writing and blogging. You have to apply the 20/80 rule. Use 20% of your energy doing things that yield 80% of the results. I focus my energy more on writing more books. By the way my fourth book is also on the way and it is not a cookbook. Take Care.
Enjoy your writings. Keep up the good work
Thanks. I really appreciate your compliment!
I love your honesty and ready to help others attitude.
You inspire me .
Keep it up.
Thanks for your encouraging remarks. Do keep coming. 🙂
Hi Prasenjeet,
Thanks for such a wonderful site. You are doing an awesome job. This is the very best way to help people around the world sitting at home.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Ranbir for keeping my morale high.
Very intersting and such story leads me to a real path.
Thanx,Prasen
i want to learn how to publish an ebook ? can you tell me about this?
No problem. I’ve written a book that takes you through the publishing process, step by step from scratch. It’s called “How to be an Author Entrepreneur Without Spending a Dime.” The book is available on Amazon in both e-book and paperback format.
I hope this helps. 🙂
Hi, went thru your blog, and it’s good… inspirational I shud say…. wishing you all success.
Love, jyolsna.
Thank you. 🙂
Muy buenos días estimado Prasenjeet, estoy leyendo tus libros en estos momentos, y no podría sentirme más identificado con tu historia, es un placer conocerte por este medio, quiero decirte que te admiro mucho. Al igual que tú, también yo soy introvertido y estudié la carrera de Derecho, después de leer los libros Fénix Tranquilo, y el poder de los introvertidos de Susan Cain, me he dado cuenta que la abogacia es una profesión que me desgasta tremendamente jeje. Actualmente tengo en mente trabajar en la administración pública, y mi sueño es complementario escribiendo libros, me siento muy satisfecho con mi decisión, pero sinceramente tengo mucho miedo, pues mis padres me están exigiendo resultados, para ellos, el estatus social y el dinero que ofrece la profesión es muy importante, desean que me vuelva abogado independiente. En base a tu experiencia, si no es mucha molestia, el escribir libros brinda los ingresos suficientes para poder subsistir? Ya que mi deseo también es formar una familia más adelante, de antemano muchas gracias
Muchas gracias, Luis. Deberías seguir tus sueños. No te preocupes por el dinero que eventualmente vendrá. Ha habido muchos escritores exitosos en el pasado como J.K. Rowling que comenzó con nada pero estaba decidido a hacerlo.
Entonces, quién sabe a dónde te lleva el destino. También sería bueno que tus padres puedan apoyarte en tus sueños. No hablo español, así que perdóname. Escribí mi respuesta en inglés y ahora estoy usando el traductor de Google. Pero te deseo todo lo mejor. 🙂
Original text in English: Thanks so much, Luis. You should follow your dreams. Don’t worry about the money which would eventually come. There have been many successful writers in the past like J.K. Rowling who started with nothing but were determined to make it.
So, who knows where destiny is taking you. It would also be good if your parents can support you in your dreams. I don’t speak Spanish, so pardon me. I wrote my answer in English and am now using Google translate. But I wish you all the best. 🙂
Perfecto, muchísimas gracias Prasenjeet, aprecio de verdad que te hayas tomado tu tiempo en responderme, así como tus recomendaciones, excelente día, y que los éxitos y las bendiciones continúen! 🙂
Gracias Luis. Si está interesado en una carrera en escritura, he escrito cuatro libros que cubren todos los aspectos de ser escritor: escribir, publicar, comercializar y tener la mentalidad correcta. Aquí está: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=prasenjeet+kumar+sin+gastar+un+centimo&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss
Les deseo todo lo mejor en sus futuros esfuerzos. 🙂
Original text in English: Thanks, Luis. If you are interested in a career in writing, I have written four books that cover every aspect of being a writer: writing, publishing, marketing and having the right mind-set. I wish you all the best with your future endeavours. 🙂
Le agradezco sus aportaciones, ya he leído el de como tener una mentalidad de escritor feliz, y el de como ser escritor emprendedor sin gastar un centésimo, ambos muy buenos y recomendables! 🙂
Gracias, Luis. 🙂